Intel Xe Graphics Cards: Rumors, Specs, Pricing, Release Date

Alex

It’s been over two decades since Intel released a discrete graphics card (the last was the disappointing Intel740, which hit the market back in 1998). That is set to change in 2020, when Intel intends to release its new discrete GPU, the Intel Xe.

Intel is being characteristically tight-lipped about what we can expect with their new cards, but if the Xe (pronounced “ex-ee”) proves to be a reliable alternative to Nvidia or AMD cards, PC builders might soon have more options at their disposal.

This article will tell you what we know about Intel Xe so far.

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A Guide to Buying the Best Chair for PC Gaming

Alex

An often-overlooked part of a PC gaming setup is what gaming chair to buy. Most modern “gaming” chairs are more form that function, lined with bright colors and shaped like race car bucket seats. But the truth is that you might not need one of those “gaming” chairs. In fact, you’re usually better off buying a quality office chair.

For most PC builders, getting the right chair is easy to forget, but think about it: you’ve spent hours pouring over component comparisons and recommended build guides, but rarely is that same attention placed on where you’ll be sitting. A good chair can often outlast those PC components, so you should give it some thought.

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Budget Showdown: R3 3200G & GTX 1650 Self-built PC vs. Upgraded Prebuilt PC from eBay

Up until a few years ago, the value king for gaming was the Intel i5 processor. More recently, AMD’s Ryzen APUs have stolen the show at the low tiers, and we all know that no integrated graphics from Intel can currently compete with AMD’s Vega 8 and Vega 11 iGPUs. So it’s a no-brainer for gaming builders at very low budgets (who are entirely skipping graphics cards) to go with Ryzen APUs.

But outside of such head-to-head CPU comparisons, a broader value question remains for upper-low-tier (and lower-mid-tier) builders: how would a self-built system balanced around AMD’s newest R3 (including a discrete graphics card) compare to a highly discounted prebuilt system with a few key upgrades?

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PC Build Success Story: Micro ATX Secondary Workstation PC

Daniel Podgorski

I’m the managing editor for Logical Increments, but I’m also a fan and a user of LI’s build guides and other resources. Each and every time I decide to build a computer, some of the research happens on this very site. The video above is a walkthrough of my Micro ATX PC building experience last September, which resulted from that research here and elsewhere.

Below you can find some more details on the build and video, as well as a full parts list.

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